PHIL ARCHER REPORTING LIVE FROM THE SCENE. MORE GAS STATION CRIMES TONIGHT'S. BUT THESE WERE PART OF A REASON CRIME SPREE THAT GOT NATIONAL ATTENTION A FEW MONTHS BACK. NOW IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN. THE SLIDERS HAVE STRUCK AT LEAST TWO MORE TIMES AND ONE WAS CAUGHT ON CAMERA. "LOCAL 2" INVESTIGATOR ROBERT ARNOLD WAS FIRST TO REPORT ON THE SLIDERS AND HE'S TRACKING THESE NEW CASES TONIGHT. Reporter: SAME SCENARIOS AS WE'VE SHOWN YOU BEFORE. THE CROOKS TARGETED WOMEN WHO LEFT THEIR PURSES IN THEIR CARS, THEIR DOORS UNLOCKED, WHILE THEY PUMPED GAS. EACH ONE ONLY TOOK A MATTER OF SECONDS. FORTUNATELY THE CRIME THAT HAPPENED AT THIS GAS STATION OFF THE SOUTH LOOP WEST AT FANNIN WAS CAUGHT ON TAPE. WATCH CAREFULLY AS THE THIEF GETS OUT OF HIS CAR, CAREFULLY SNEAKS PAST THE CAR NEXT TO HIM, AND WALKS RIGHT UP TO THE SUV. HE PEEKS INSIDE, THEN OPENS THE DOOR AND GRABS THE WOMAN'S PURSE. THE WOMAN WAS NEXT TO HER CAR THE ENTIRE TIME PUMPING GAS, BUT NEVER NOTICED ANYTHING WAS WRONG. "LOCAL 2" HAS SHOWN YOU WHAT HAPPENED AT THIS GAS STATION ON MONDAY, HAS BEEN HAPPENING AT GAS STATIONS ACROSS THE CITY. JUST ASK LAURA MAPLE. I HAD NO CLUE. AND IT HAPPENED WITHIN 15 SECONDS. Reporter: SHE WAS HIT BY A THIEF WHILE PUMPING GAS LAST SATURDAY AT THIS STATION OFF BUFFALO SPEEDWAY AT HIGHWAY 59. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WERE NO CAMERAS TO CAPTURE THIS CRIME. MAPLE SAYS SHE HAD HER PURSE ON THE PASSENGER SEAT AND HER FIVE-YEAR-OLD SON WAS IN THE BACK SEAT. SHE SAYS SHE NEVER NOTICED ANYTHING WAS WRONG AT ALL WHILE SHE WAS PUMPING GAS. THAT IS UNTIL A MAN PARKED BEHIND HER, STARTED YELLING. THE GUY WHO WAS IN THE CAR BEHIND ME SAID MA'AM, MA'AM, SOMEONE JUST WENT IN YOUR CAR. I WAS LIKE WHAT? Reporter: WHAT SHE DID LOSE WERE HER CREDIT CARD, I.D.'S, NEW GAMING SYSTEM AND BOTH THE KEYS TO HER SUV AND HOUSE. JUST WATCH YOURSELF BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE PREYING ON WOMEN AND ANYONE THEY THINK A TARGET. POLICE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR THE CROOKS IN BOTH OF THOSE CASES. POLICE CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH, TAKE YOUR PURSE OR ANY VALUABLES WITH YOU AND LOCK YOUR CAR DOORS WHILE YOU ARE PUMPING GAS. AS YOU SAW, IT TAKES ONLY A MATTER OF SECONDS AND THESE CROOKS ARE SPECIFICALLY WATCHING GAS STATIONS FOR WOMEN WHO GET OUT OF THEIR CARS WITH NO PURSE IN HAND. LIVE IN SOUTHWEST HOUSTON, ROBERT ARNOLD, KPRC "LOCAL 2". WE HAVE THE RAW SURVEILLANCE VIDEO FROM THIS LATE'S SLIDER'S CASE ON CLICK2HOUSTON.COM.

HOUSTON -

Surveillance video obtained by Local 2 shows so-called 'sliders' are still a problem at gas stations across the Houston area.

Police said these crooks generally target women who leave their purses in their cars with the doors unlocked while they pump gas.

Video from surveillance cameras at a Shell gas station off the South Loop West at Fannin captured a 'slider' stealing a woman's purse on Monday. The video shows the thief parked his car next to a pump, pretending to be a customer.

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The man is then seen on video sneaking past a car parked next to his and walking over to a woman's SUV. The video shows the man peeking inside the woman's SUV before opening the passenger side door, grabbing her purse and running away.

The video shows the woman was next to her car pumping gas on the driver's side during the entire incident and never realized she had been burglarized.

Laura Maple said a similar scenario happened to her while she was pumping gas last Saturday at a station off Buffalo Speedway at Highway 59.

"I had no clue and it happened; you know, maybe 15 seconds," said Maple.

Unfortunately there were no cameras to capture this crime.

"It's just a really terrible thing to happen, especially just before the holidays," said Maple.

Maple said she left her purse on the passenger seat and her 5-year-old son in the backseat while she was pumping gas.

Maple said she had no idea a thief opened her driver's side door to grab her purse until a man parked behind her started yelling.

"The guy who was in the car behind said, 'Ma'am, ma'am someone just went in your car.' And I said, 'What?,'” said Maple.

She said she tried to chase after the man but he was gone too quickly. Police said the only description they have is a white male in a light-colored car, possibly an Acura with a paper license plate.

"It could have been much worse, he could taken off with my car and my child," said Maple.

Maple said the thief got away with her credit cards, ID, cell phone, a new Nintendo portable gaming system and both the keys to her SUV and house. Maple said the crook used her debit card at a nearby gas station within minutes of stealing her purse.

"He took my cell phone so it was hard to alert the credit card companies quickly that my cards had been stolen," said Maple. "Just watch yourself because people are out there preying on women and anyone they can, anyone they think is a target they will target."

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